This invention relates generally to flush toilets, and more particularly to an apparatus which may be applied to flush toilets incorporating a conventional flap-type valve for closing the flush outlet and which will allow the selected closing of such valve after flushing.
Traditionally, flush toilets which make use of a reservoir or a holding tank for water prior to the necessity of evacuating the bowl have utilized more water than was necessary. The excessive use of water in the past when water was plentiful was not considered a problem. However, the advent of more densely populated areas and the increased concern for the conservation of natural resources, has made such waste unacceptable.
In line with such conservation ideas, it would be an advantage to provide a flush toilet which selectively controls the amount of water flowing from the reservoir into the bowl. It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an apparatus for selectively closing at will the water outlet of the conventional reservoir or toilet tank.
Many of the newer conventional flush toilets using a toilet tank or reservoir use a flap-type valve to restrict water flow from the tank to the bowl. Often times after flushing, the flap on the valve remains open due to sticking or for any number of reasons does not close or closes but does not form a good seal. This then allows the water to continue to flow from the tank into the bowl and results in waste. Therefore, an additional object of this invention to provide a means for closing the flap valve when it does not close automatically or closes but does not form a good seal. It is still another object of this invention to provide inexpensive and easily maintained apparatus for selectively closing the flap valve on a flush toilet which utilizes a reservoir or tank.
Another problem often encountered in the use of flush toilets utilizing a reservoir is overflow. It is not uncommon for the waste lines which drain the bowl of a conventional toilet to become clogged or otherwise impassable due to waste or some foreign object blocking or slowing passage. In conventional toilets, once the flush cycle is commenced, all the water in the tank will empty into the bowl whether the bowl can accept it or not. The operator of the toilet may not notice the line stoppage until after flushing. If the bowl is unable to drain, the water from the tank fills the bowl and then overflows onto the floor. This overflow can cause extensive damage to the flooring as well as leaving the operator with an unsightly mess to clean. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which will allow the operator upon observing that the bowl is not emptying properly to selectively terminate the flow of water from the tank. These and other objects and purposes will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following descriptive disclosure.
Another apparatus which regulates the control of flow from the tank into the bowl is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,817,849 issued Dec. 31, 1957 to George Hewitt. A flush tank valve control means is disclosed which includes a float operated foot for grasping a valve stem that has been moved in a flush position until the tank has been completely flushed and then partially refilled the grasping foot also allows the operator to close the valve at any time as the tank is being drained, thereby controlling the amount of water used during the flushing operation. With this structure, one may manually control the operation thereof to use less than the total tank capacity of water. However, this particular invention, among other things, requires the use of a float mechanism which is in addition to the float required to operate the water inlet valve.